William Albert Noyes was born on November 6, 1857, on a farm near Independence, Iowa, the youngest son of Spencer W. Noyes and Mary Noyes. In 1875 he entered Grinnell College, where he enrolled in classical studies, reading chemistry on the side, teaching full-time in country schools during the winter quarters, and graduating with AB and BS degrees in 1879. He taught and studied analytical chemistry at Grinnell until January, 1881, when he entered Johns Hopkins to work under Ira Remsen. Although he performed water analyses to pay his expenses, he still received his PhD degree in one and a...